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Scotland
Official flag Official Coat of Arms
National information
National motto:	Nemo me impune lacessit  (Latin) "No one provokes me with impunity" "Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh"   (Scottish Gaelic) '"Wha daur meddle wi me?"'  (Scots)1
National anthem:	No official song. Flower of Scotland unoffical.
About the people
Official languages:	English, Gaelic
Population: (# of people)
- Total:	5,116,900
- Density:	168.2 per mi² / 65 per km²
Geography / Places
Here is the country on a map of the world.
Capital city:	Edinburgh
Largest city:	Glasgow
Area
- Total:	30,414 mi² / 78,772 km²
Politics / Government
Established:	Early Middle Ages; exact date unclear, but traditionally 843, by King Kenneth MacAlpin
Leaders:	First Minister: Alex Salmond
Economy / Money
Currency: (Name of money)	British Pound (£) (GBP)
International information
Time zone:	GMT
Telephone dialing code:	+44
Internet domain:	.uk .gov.uk

Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country in the northern part of the British Isles, on the island of Great Britain. Scotland shares a border with England. The country is also bordered by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and also the Irish Sea.

Scotland was once an independent country with its own government but is now one of the four nations that form the United Kingdom. In 1603 the King of Scotland James VI of Scotland became King of England too. In 1707 the parliament of Scotland joined with the parliament of England to become the parliament of Great Britain, and in 1801 Great Britain joined with Ireland to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Even though Scotland is not independent, throughout history it always had a separate, law and school system and a unique culture. Since 1999 Scotland has had its own parliament. However, many things are still controlled by the Westminster parliament in London, England. Some people in Scotland now want independence again for their country.

The Scottish flag is blue with a white diagonal cross (called a saltire). This is the cross of Saint Andrew, who is the patron saint of Scotland. Some other symbols used for Scotland are a thistle, and a lion.

The north of Scotland has many mountains, and few people live there. Most people live in the low central area, or around the coast. South of the central belt are the Southern Uplands, another hilly place. On the west coast and in the north are a lot of islands.

The capital city of Scotland is the city of Edinburgh, on the east coast. But the biggest city is Glasgow - nearly half of Scotland's people live in Glasgow or in the area near it. Other cities in Scotland are Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Stirling.

[change] Geography

Map of Scotland, the capital Edinburgh is shown by the black dot

The main part of Scotland makes up one-third of the size of the British Isles, and is located to the northwest of Europe.

The size of the land of Scotland is 78,772km² (30,414 sq mi). Scotland's only land border is with England, and runs for 96 kilometres (60 mi). The Atlantic Ocean borders the west coast and the North Sea is to the east. The island of Ireland is only 30 kilometres (20 mi) from the southern part of Kintyre; Norway is 305 kilometres (190 mi) to the east and the Faroes, 270 kilometres (168 mi) to the north.

Scotland's highest point is the summit of Ben Nevis, in Lochaber, while Scotland's longest river, the River Tay, flows for a distance of 190 km (120 miles).

[change] History

Stirling Castle has stood for centuries atop a volcanic crag defending the lowest ford of the River Forth. The fortification underwent numerous sieges.

The history of Scotland begins around 10,000 years ago, when humans first began to inhabit Scotland after the end of the last ice age. Of the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age civilization that existed in the country, many artifacts remain, but few written records were left behind.

The written history of Scotland mostly begins with the arrival of the Roman Empire in Britain, when the Romans occupied what is now England and Wales, taking it as a Roman region called Britannia. To the north was land not owned by the Romans — Caledonia, by name. Its people were the Picts. From a historical view Scotland seemed to be slow to advance, gathering knowledge from the Mediterranean countries, but as knowledge of the past increases it is now known that some areas were earlier and more advanced than previously thought, and that the sea was very important to Scottish history.

Because of the geographical location of Scotland and its strong reliance on trade routes by sea, the nation held close links in the south and east with the Baltic countries, and through Ireland with France and Europe. Following the Acts of Union and Industrial Revolution, Scotland grew to be one of the largest commercial, intellectual and industrial countries in Europe.

[change] Independence

Sir William Wallace

The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of Scotland in 1296, and ended with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328. The Second War (1332–1357) began with the English-supported invasion of Edward Balliol and the 'Disinherited' in 1332, and ended around 1357 with the signing of the Treaty of Berwick.

The wars were part of a great national crisis for Scotland and the period became one of the most important moments in the nation's history. At the end of both wars, Scotland still was a free and independent nation, which was her main aim throughout the conflict. The wars were also important for other reasons, such as the emergence of the longbow as a key weapon in medieval warfare.

A series of deaths in the line of succession in the 1280s, followed by King Alexander III's death in 1286 left the Scottish crown in disarray. His granddaughter Margaret, the "Maid of Norway", a four-year old girl, was the heir.

Edward I of England, as Margaret's great-uncle, suggested that his son (also a child) and Margaret should marry, stabilising the Scottish line of succession. In 1290 Margaret's guardians agreed to this, but Margaret herself died in Orkney on her voyage from Norway to Scotland before she was made Queen or her marriage could take place.

John Balliol, the man with the strongest claim to the throne, became king (30 November 1292). Robert Bruce of Annandale, the next strongest claimant, accepted this outcome (his grandson and namesake later took the throne as Robert I).

Stirling Bridge in 2006

Over the next few years Edward I attempted to undermine both the authority of King John and the independence of Scotland. In 1295 John, on the recommendation of his chief councillors, entered into an alliance with France. This was the beginning of the Auld Alliance.

In 1296 Edward invaded Scotland, removing King John. The following year William Wallace and Andrew de Moray raised an army from the southern and northern parts of the country to resist the occupation. Under their joint leadership an English army was defeated at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. For a short time Wallace ruled Scotland in the name of John Balliol as Guardian of the realm.

Edward came north in person and defeated Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk (1298). Wallace escaped but resigned as Guardian of Scotland. John Comyn and Robert the Bruce were put in his place. In 1305 Wallace was captured by the English, who executed him for treason. Wallace claimed he did not commit treason as he owed no allegiance to England.

Robert Bruce

In February 1306 Robert Bruce murdered John Comyn, a leading rival. Bruce went on to take the crown, but Edward's army overran the country after defeating Bruce's small army at the Battle of Methven. Despite the excommunication of Bruce and his followers by Pope Clement V his support slowly strengthened; and by 1314 with the help of leading nobles such as Sir James Douglas and the Earl of Moray only the castles at Bothwell and Stirling were still under English control. Edward I had died in 1307. His heir Edward II moved an army north to break the siege of Stirling Castle and again take control. Robert defeated that army at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, securing temporary independence. In 1320 a letter to the Pope from the nobles of Scotland (the Declaration of Arbroath) went part of the way towards convincing Pope John XXII to overturn the earlier excommunication and cancel the various acts of submission by Scottish kings to English ones so that Scotland's independence could be recognised by other European countries.

In 1326, the first full Parliament of Scotland met. The parliament had evolved from an earlier council of nobility and clergy around 1235, but in 1326 representatives of the burghs — the burgh commissioners — joined them to form the Three Estates.

In 1328, Edward III signed the Treaty of Northampton declaring Scottish independence under the rule of Robert the Bruce. Four years after Robert's death in 1329, however, England once more invaded, looking to put the "Rightful King" — Edward Balliol, son of John Balliol — to the Scottish throne, starting the Second War of Independence. In the face of tough Scottish resistance, led by Sir Andrew Murray, attempts to secure Balliol on the throne failed. Edward III lost interest in Balliol after the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War with France. In 1341 David II, King Robert's son and heir, was able to return from temporary exile in France. Balliol finally resigned his vacant claim to the throne to Edward in 1356, before retiring to Yorkshire, where he died in 1364.

[change] Language

The offical languages of Scotland are English and Gaelic. English is spoken by most people in Scotland, with only a small number, mostly in the Western Isles, speaking Gaelic. There is also another language called Scots, which is a Germanic language which is closely related to English.

[change] Sport

[change] Football

Both sets of fans at an Old Firm match at Celtic Park.

Football is the most popular sport in Scotland. The big cities, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee, all have two or three big football teams, and most towns have at least one team. The two most famous teams in Scotland are known as the "Old Firm", Celtic and Rangers. These two Glasgow clubs have a lot of history, and are fierce rivals, often causing fights and even riots between the fans. Rangers are world record holders, having won the most amount of league titles of any football team, currently 51.

Other important Scottish clubs include Gretna FC, who won three titles in a row, moving from the Third Division, to the SPL in only three seasons, and also Raith Rovers FC, who famously played UEFA Cup Winners, Bayern Munich. Raith Rovers were knocked out by Bayern, but managed to lead them 1-0 at half time.

The top division of Scottish Football is called the "Scottish Premier League" (or SPL), and is currently sponsored by the Clydesdale Bank, a large Scottish Bank. The teams playing in the SPL for the 2008/09 season will be:

[change] Golf

Golf is also a popular sport in Scotland. Colin Montgomery a professional golfer, is known as one of the best players never to have won a major championship after finishing second five times.

[change] Motorsport

Sir Jackie Stewart speaking at the USA Grand Prix in 2005

Scotland is also involved with motorsports. Current F1 driver David Coulthard is a thirteen time Grand Prix winner. Jackie Stewart is a 3-time F1 World Champion and regarded as one of the best drivers ever. Jim Clark is a 2-time F1 World Champion and regarded as one of the three best ever with Schumacher and Senna. Colin McRae was also 1995 World Rally Champion.

[change] Elephant Polo

Scotland is the world champions of the unusual sport of Elephant Polo. Elephant Polo is registered as an Olympic sport with the Nepal Olympic Committee, and was invented by Scotsman James Manclark in 1983.^[1]

[change] Famous Scots

[change] Actors

	Name	D.O.B	Place Born	Famous For
	Sir Sean Connery	25 August 1930	Edinburgh	James Bond
	David Tennant	18 April 1971	Bathgate	Doctor Who
	Ewan McGregor	31 March 1971	Crieff	Trainspotting, Star Wars
	Dougray Scott	25 November 1965	Glenrothes	Ripleys Game, Mission: Impossible II

[change] Politics

	Name	D.O.B	Place Born	Position	Party
	Tony Blair	6 May 1953	Edinburgh	Former Prime Minister of United Kingdom	Labour
	Gordon Brown	20 February 1951	Govan, Glasgow	Prime Minister of United Kingdom	Labour
	Charles Kennedy	25 November 1959	Inverness	Party Leader	Liberal Democrats
	Alex Salmond	31 December 1954	Linlithgow	First Minister of Scotland	Scottish National Party
	Jack McConnell	30 June 1960	Irvine, North Ayrshire	Former First Minister of Scotland	Labour

[change] References

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Scotland